Shoe for steam pressing irons



Oct. 20, 1942. R. BASS SHOE FOR STEAM PRESSING IRONS Filed Aug, 26, 1941 Patented Oct. 20, 1942 SHOE FOR STEAM PRESSING IRONS Rubin Bass, Brooklyn, N. Y., assigner to American Plush & Velvet Pressboard Co. Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 26, 19441, Serial No. 408,282

(Cl. (iS- 222) 2 Claims.

My invention relates to shoes for steam pressing irons such as are used in the fur and gar- 'ment industry.

Such irons usually have bottom plates for distributing the steam and a canvas or similar cover. The distributor usually consists of a perforated cast metal plate having a lower recess or steam chamber and a number of lugs, studs or other projections supporting a perforated metal sheet. This sheet is secured to the cast plate and has a number of perforations through which the steam escapes to the canvas cover. frequently gets distorted or rusty. The holes may get clogged with rust and dirt which cannot be removed. The distributor therefore must be replaced at considerable expense. In case the sheet metal plate is not attached, it frequently gets misplaced or left out.

My invention avoids all these dilculties by dispensing with the metal bottom attached to the distributor plate and providing a unitary shoe having within itself a stiiening fabric such as wire gauze or woven meshwork together with a layer of absorbent materials so that the shoe with the meshwork can be readily attached and detached. When the shoe is detached the entire bottom of the steam chamber is left open for inspection and can be readily cleaned. As the stiffener is left attached to the shoe, there is no danger of leaving it out in assembling the parts.

The outer covering of the shoe may also -be provided with openings protected by eyelets to permit a freer discharge of steam especially if the outer cover becomes clogged with dirt. These eyelets constitute permanent steam passages.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of shoe of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a somewhat different form spread out beneatha fragment of a distributor steam plate.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing another modication.

Fig. 4 shows a side view of one form of plied to a distributor plate.

Fig. 5 shows the form of Fig. 1 applied to a steam pressing iron (shown dotted) Fig. 6 shows an outside view of the pad with eyelets set in.

shoe ap- Fig. 7 shows the back of the pad with three 5 parts stitched together.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a distributor plate and shoe let into the body of an iron.

A typical form of iron I0 is provided with steam This sheet metal heater (not shown) is embodied in the iron for maintaining the steam as dry as possible. A socket I2 receives the usual electric attachment plug.

The iron is provided with a steam chamber I3 in the bottom. Distribution of steam to the pressing surface is effected by a plate I4 which is detachably secured to the body of the iron by a screw I5. 'I'his plate may cover the entire bottom of the iron as in Fig. 5 or it may be let into a recess in the body as shown in Fig. 8. Here the unitary shoe is secured detachably to the distributor plate I4' which is secured in the recess or chamber I3' in the bottom of the iron. The plate has a peripheral flange I'I surrounding a shallow chamber I8 into which steam is fed through perforations I9 in the plate. The lower pressure surface of the plate is formed by the Yflange I1 and a number of lugs or projections 20.

It will be noted that according to my invention the distributor plate I4 has no bottom plate and the lower steam chamber I8 is open.

The shoe which constitutes my important improvement consists of a cover of canvas 2I or other suitable fabric to which is secured an upper layer of porous stiffening material, preferably a fine wire mesh 22 preferably sewed to it by stitches 23. 'I'his wire mesh is large enough to extend beneath the ange II when the shoe is applied to the plate I4 and the canvas is large enough to surround the outer edge of the ange I1. The periphery of the canvas is provided with means for drawing it tightly around the plate. Such means may consist of a spring -24 or a draw string or cord 25 or a spring of any suitable form mounted in a pocket 26 or 2 1 at the edge of the shoe.

I also prefer to provide a pad l-ayer of felt or Canton flannel 28 between the wire mesh and the canvas to more uniformly diffuse the steam throughout the pressing surface and'absorb the moisture of condensation from the steam. 'I'his pad is larger than the wire mesh stiifener and is stitched around its edge to the canvas and the various parts of the shoe are made stiff enough to afford the necessary resistance to the pressing action when the shoe is applied to the distributor plate and snugly fitted in place so that the feet 2l of the plate Il will not produce pro- 0 jections at the bottom of the canvas.

In the form shown in Fig. 4, the distributor plate is intended for use in a recess in the bottom of an iron with the canvas in the plane of the lower face of the iron. It is thus possible with throughan entrance pipe II. Usually anelectric this arrangement t0 use the bare metal 0f the face and also the steam treating surface of the In the form of Fig. 5, the distributor extends beneath the entire bottom of the iron and the shoe is fitted around the edge of the entire bottom part of the iron and distributor so that only the canvas is exposed for use as the pressing surface. For this form it is preferred to use a helical tension spring 24 outside of the iron.

In each case however it will be seen that the shoe 4consists of the canvas or other suitable fabric with the stifi'ening material permanently connected thereto. When this is worn or damaged it may be readily replaced. When the shoe is removed, the distributor may be readily inspected and cleaned when necessary. 'Ihe absorbent pad extends beyond the stiflener material sumciently to extend up around the edge'of the iron when the shoe is applied to the iron and thus be sure to prevent leakageof water around the edge of the stiiener material.

In some cases, I may prefer to provide the shoe with a number of perforations 30 for greater freedom for the passage of44 steam to the4 work surface and in this case I will usually provide tubular Ieyelets 3| for protecting the edges of the openings and to provide permanent steam passages beneath the absorbent pad 28.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that my improved shoe spreads the steam evenly, prevents condensation or dampness from the steam reach` ing the garment and permits the steam to pass to the garment in a dry manner thus eliminating the necessity of using a press cloth or the like ordinarily used' when pressing to avoid a shine or singe. The improved shoe also permits steam to ow out more profusely when necessary and prevents an accumulation vof bres, hair and other foreign matter during thecourse of pressing from clogging the surface of the cover.'

Furthermore. because the wire mesh or other stiifener is secured directly to the canvas cover,

it cannot become distorted. misplaced or lost and damage to the garment for such reason is thus eliminated. v

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture. a unitary shoe for a steam pressing iron comprising a fabric body having an integral skirt portion around its edge. an imperforate felt-like absorbent pad contiguous said body portion and secured around its entire edge to one surface of said body portion, a porous stiiener contiguous said pad and secured around its entire edge to one surface of said pad. means for gathering in the skirt portion whereby part of it overlaps theat body portion. pad and stiiIener, including a pocket formed in the outer free edge of said skirt portion and a flexible gathering member in said pocket, said fabric body being provided with'steam openings.

2. A shoe for a steam pressing iron comprising a stiff canvas cover -having a skirt around its edge for gathering it to the rim of a part of a pressing iron, a felt absorbent pad having its edge permanently secured to the canvas cover inside the skirt of the cover and a wire mesh stiiener having its edge permanently secured to said pad, the edge of the absorbent pad extending beyond the edge of the stiifener sumciently to extend up around the rim of the pressing iron part inside of the skirt of the canvas cover and prevent leakage around the stiifener.

RUBIN BASS. 

